Introduction
Whenever you dive into the realm of shooting games there’s always an element of strategy that players must implement in order to survive and win. Whether it be sitting and waiting for other players to grow impatient or simply running straight into the gunfire in hopes to take out enemies, there’s always something players can add to further improve their game. This brings us to PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, arguably the biggest and fastest growing shooter out on the market, and there are many reasons that contribute towards its success.
One major factor that has really helped PUBG catapult into the top of the Steam charts is that it’s a new type of experience in that, the battle royale genre was never really well known before that of PUBG. Of course you had the likes of DayZ and H1Z1 but they didn’t necessarily gain as much traction as PUBG. Perhaps you could say that, those two games in particular were merely the fuel needed to really get people’s attention, and to help solidify the battle royale genre as an official standard in shooters. With all that being said we want to discuss the various playstyles, preferably the more common styles, that you’ll tend to see in PUBG and here are the 4: The Aggressor, The Risk Taker, The Ninja and The Chameleon.
The Aggressor
This is a playstyle that spans across many genre of video games but plays a more important role in shooters. So what exactly is The Aggressor and how does one come to master it? The Aggressor is a player that wants in on the action and doesn’t shy away from taking a few bullets in order to score kills. In PUBG these are the players who thrive off of the heavily populated areas like the Military Base, Prison along with Pochinki and go all in on their approach. Mind you their approach is calculated so don’t get it confused with blind aggression (though we’ve seen a lot of players use this style also) which is basically running in without any sort of game plan and dying carelessly instead of dying for a cause. The Aggressor charges in with the intent of landing early kills and being able to score big rewards such as grabbing the heavy duty weapons and equipment. They smell blood and they feed off it.
They may die a lot more frequently than the other styles on this list because it’s a very high risk high reward scenario, but they learn to build tough skin and so as the game progresses they understand that death will always be around the corner. This is an extremely good habit to build as a player because the more deaths you encounter, the less likely you are to grow anxious when everything counts especially in the top 10 bracket. The style requires a lot of practice and a lot of proper planning to execute well meaning that, before the plane even hits the map the Aggressor is already mapping out their route to get in, get kills, then get out in order to score that Chicken Dinner. If you’re looking to implement this style into your gameplay it’s important to remember one thing: Don’t fear dying.
The Risk Taker
Now the Risk Taker may sound very similar to that of the Aggressor since the two both love to dive straight into the heart of the battle, but what differs is in the approach. The Risk Taker is the type of player who will see an opportunity and take it if it rewards them heavily, knowing that there’s a very high risk of dying in the process. They’re a lot more calculated than the Aggressor and so they’ll only move in if it provides a substantial amount of return. Think of an investor on the stock market, they see the prices fluctuate and know exactly when to buy and when to sell to reap the massive rate of return. That’s the mindset of the Risk Taker where they’ll study the odds against them and if the odds seem to work heavily in their favor, they’re more likely to charge in and take home the money.
We’ll give you an example for more clarity. Let’s say you’re in a top 10 scenario and you have a few Aggressor’s, a couple Risk Taker’s and the Ninja’s who are lurking around. The Risk Taker will scour the environment and determine the right course of action depending on what takes place. If the Risk Taker sees an enemy in clear sight and knows that enemy is carrying a full inventory of powerful tools, they’ll strike even though there’s a very high chance they’ll get tagged by everyone else. This type of gutsy play puts the player into the line of fire very often but it’s what we call “the gut feeling” type of play because, you base everything off of feels rather than what’s transpiring around you. You play to win even if you lose. It’s very methodical and requires a lot of mental training because any slip up, much like the stock market, you’ll crash and burn which will result in no returns at all.
The Ninja
This is perhaps the most common style of play in any shooter you come across and that’s because it’s highly effective if mastered. Much like the Ninjas of the 15th century era of Japan (Sengoku era), these players specialize in out maneuvering the enemy, focusing more on stealth combat than in your face approach. No movement is ever wasted with the Ninja because one misstep could cost them their lives, and the same rule applies in PUBG. It’s all about survival in PUBG so the longer you can stay on your feet the more points you accumulate, which end up being more beneficial closer to late game. The Ninja will only approach when it’s absolutely necessary to do so meaning that, they’ll never move from their position unless threatened. The Ninja will move into high traffic areas very swiftly and grab whatever they can in order to survive, be it a pistol, shotgun or a high end weapon should they get lucky.
Once they’ve acquired their tools they spend very little time trying to kill other players as their main goal is to find a place to hide, and observe from high ground. They play like spies and learn how to sabotage other players in order to get the advantage. One example is making excellent use of smoke and stun grenades, creating more of a diversion than using them for their actual purpose. One example is the Ninja sees the target lingering around a few trees in the distance and instead of shooting to give away their position, they instead sneak their way towards the enemy using tactical diversions. They’ll throw a smoke grenade out into the open or instead of directly approaching the target, they’ll take the long route to get behind the enemy and strike them by surprise. These players love that juicy suppressor if they can manage to grab one.
The Ninja is also perhaps the most disliked by a lot of players because of their “camping” style, but we’ll be honest and say this: If you lost to this type of playstyle then you need to work more on your approach, and stop being an easy target. The reason why the Ninjas often make it into top 10 or even top 5 scenarios is because they strike only when they have to, and collect only what’s needed in order to secure a kill. They don’t spend too much time looting every house as they’ve already noted what tools are required, and will only seek out these items in order to free their mind of any superfluous things. The Ninja enjoys low risk but once mastered they can reap extremely high rewards down the road.
The Chameleon
This is perhaps the most prestigious type of playstyle in PUBG or any shooter for that matter, and is usually controlled by the top players. This is the upper echelon of strategy and once mastered you’re pretty much a non stop machine that’s able to adapt to any situation, switching playstyles at the perfect times. Much like the Chameleon this playstyle revolves around everything we mentioned but they’ve all been fine tuned so well, that there’s very little weaknesses in any category. Unlike the jack of all trades master of none type of player who isn’t really confident in any field, the Chameleon is always prepared for any situation thrown at them and will act based upon certain “tells” within the game. These tells come in a variety of ways and can be very difficult for the average player to pick up on, especially when under pressure. These players are the masterminds, the cerebral and often the most deadly to deal with.
The Chameleon knows pressure well since they’ve learned to adapt and master each playstyle effectively, giving them a heightened sense of security and confidence moving forward. Death doesn’t phase them as much but rather, instead of complaining about it they find solutions around improvement. Self analysis is a key factor in becoming the Chameleon because at the end of the day, you’re the one controlling the action around you and so if your focus is off even by one bit it can spell the end very quickly. The Chameleon knows no boundaries and can use whatever weapon around them to get the job done early game, while staying alive long enough to secure top placement and grab that Chicken Dinner.
Honey's Final Verdict:
So what’s your playstyle? Do you fall into multiple categories or do you seem to master only one? Perhaps you’re a Chameleon and can adapt to just about everything, making you a serious threat in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. Let us know what your playstyle is in the comments below, and be sure to follow us on Twitter along with Twitch to know when we go live with PUBG. We provide a lot of in depth play-by-play analysis to ensure our viewers understand what goes through our minds as we dive in, while also providing useful advice so that you too can become the last person standing in this battle royale.
